reference letters

[Guest ioncannon97]

Hi, i have done two summers of research and will be applying to med school this year. I would like to get a reference from at least one of the places i did research at. However, i'm having a hard time deciding if I should get the letter from the prof (who is well known in his field but whom I hardly worked with during the summer) or the technician that oversaw most of my work (who doesnt have a pHD but who knows me well). Any suggestions?

[Guest Lactic Folly]

Can you get the technician to write the letter and have the prof co-sign it?

[Guest tirisa]

Hi Ioncannon,

 

I consulted with my thesis supervisor last year regarding who I should get letters from. He said that the most important thing when getting a reference letter is to ask someone who knows YOU well and who knows how you work. In all of his experience reading reference letters, he said that there was nothing worse than getting a letter from a department head, dean, or someone equally important who doesn't know the candidate well and who writes the standard form sentences... "Ms. Smith is an exceptional student who has excelled in her class work... ". (Don't get me wrong, if your department head or dean knows you well, then by all means, get a reference from them...).

 

One of my references last year (my program manager.. no PhD, but we had worked and travelled a lot together) sent me a copy of his letter before sending it off and I had tears in my eyes when I was reading it, because it was soo heartfelt and meaningful, and he was describing my strengths better than I ever could. I think that his letter would have been sooo much more convincing then my department heads...

 

Ha ha... too bad for me, no one ever got to read those letters. Oh well. I'll try again this year.

 

Anyway, hope I gave you something to think about.

Cheers,

T